Author: garrettpacholl

It’s already been over a month since I left France… it’s crazy how fast time passes! I find myself often thinking back to my time there fondly, even now. I’m so grateful to the SLA program for allowing me this experience!

I wanted to wait to make my final post until after my classes started, so I could write about how big of a change I felt in my ability to understand and speak French. And boy, what a difference did my experience in France! Being immersed in the beautiful language and culture of French did wonders for my comprehension skills–I feel so much more confident in my speaking, listening, and writing abilities. The difference was incredibly apparent compared to where I was last semester, even though I’ve only had two class sessions so far. I think I advanced furthest in my vocabulary and grammar knowledge; I feel like I’m struggling a lot less with forming sentences on the spot and feel better about adjusting my sentence structures from English to French, not just the words.

I brought back many insights and lessons from my time there, but one that I want to talk about is that there’s so much more to learn than just translating things from English to French (and vice versa) in your head. It’s not just changes in grammar, though those are definitely important! The way you greet people is different. The way you send emails and texts is different. Even the way you walk through cities can be different. There’s so much to learn, and it comes much easier than you’d think when you’re really immersed in another country. For me, my experience in France was one giant lesson, and one that I enjoyed learning every second I was there. Being abroad is a time to realize that your way of living and thinking about things is fundamentally different from other people. That’s something that’s easy to say but can really surprise you when you’re there, even if you know it logically.

If anyone reading this is considering applying for a travel grant to France or elsewhere, I’d strongly encourage you to do so. You can see pictures of places like Paris and learn French in a classroom, but I truly think that the full experience is so much more than the highlights. Some of my favorite memories–riding an electric scooter on the busy streets of Paris, taking a spontaneous trip to a neighboring village with my friends, enjoying a peaceful walk along the Loire, laughing with my host family at dinner–were things that you don’t hear advertised as big tourist attractions or activities. They’re the moments that you create yourself, while you’re there, and they’re infinitely more special because of that. The world is there for you to explore, and I really hope that you can get out there and make treasured memories through new experiences out there.

I’d like to once again reiterate my gratitude to the SLA Program and the wonderful people at the CSLC for making this dream of mine come true. Merci, et au revoir!

Salut!

I decided to spend my last weekend in France in Paris, as my classes in Tours ended on Friday and my flight was on Sunday. I had a limited time window, but I was unsure when I would be able to return to Paris again. So, I decided to try to go to as many of the major tourist attractions in Paris as I could within two days!

My plan to be speedy ran into a problem almost immediately, when the line to go up the Eiffel Tower was a lot longer than I anticipated. I unfortunately didn’t get to go to the top, but I managed to go to Versailles afterwards. I had about thirty minutes to tour the entire palace, and wow, was it stunning! The gardens were open for longer, and I was glad to have more time to fully enjoy them. I’d highly recommend them to anyone–I was captivated by their size and beauty the entire time I was there.

The next day was museum day, including Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre. Both of them were fantastic, but I was partial to the variety of types of art in the Louvre. I wasn’t expecting to find a Moai statue in France, for example! I walked by the Mona Lisa but wasn’t willing to wait in the massive line to take a picture in front of it (it was still cool to see it, though). After a long morning and afternoon of looking at art, I had a bit of free time, so I decided to go to the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur. I didn’t have any metro tickets to get there, however, and it was quite a distance away. I therefore resorted to a recommendation from a friend: electric scooters.

Riding the electric scooters through the streets of Paris was probably my favorite experience there. Being able to coast through the streets of Paris and see its beautiful architecture everywhere you go was truly a breathtaking experience and one I’d recommend to anyone. There are a large number of electric scooters for rent scattered throughout the city that make them easily accessible. After Sacré-Cœur, I toured the city some more on the scooter just to experience it some more! I then met up with some friends for dinner, who were from the Institut de Touraine and also happened to be in Paris that weekend, and I spent the rest of my last evening in France with them. We went to some stores after dinner and met some kind people who lived in Paris, who gave us some recommendations on places to go the next time we were there.

I had a wonderful time in Paris, and looking back on all of my experiences in France, I’m truly grateful that I had this experience. I really hope I can go back to this amazing country some day! As usual, I’ve attached pictures of the highlights to the bottom of this post.

Thank you for reading!

Salut!

I’ve been meaning to write this blog post for a while, but I wanted to wait until I had ample time to sample all that I could of French cuisine. Now that I’ve had some time, I’m excited to talk about all that I’ve experienced of food in France!

The main things that I had heard about French eating culture before coming here were essentially “baguette, cheese, escargot, and frog legs.” I went in with an open mind about what I would encounter, and I’m glad I did! Bread and cheese are certainly ubiquitous here; with both my host families, I’ve had bread available every breakfast and dinner, as well as a wealth of cheese options after the main course of dinner. I’ve had so much cheese that I’ve been able to develop a favorite in Camembert cheese. Escargot (snails) and frog legs are not very common, though, from what I’ve seen and heard. The people I talked to generally had strong opinions—either love or hate—for these two dishes, but they often said that they had not had either frequently. I was able to try both, but I had to deliberately seek out places that had them. Most of the restaurants I visited without prior planning didn’t have either.

Another aspect of French eating culture I thought was interesting was the different pacing of the meals. Restaurants here have been a completely different experience for me than they are in the United States. For one, they have almost always been served as a multiple-course meal, with a free appetizer of pretzels, bread, or other snack-like food before the main course. Another difference is the time it takes. In the U.S., I’m used to waiters coming by almost as soon as you’re done eating to clean off the table and give you the check. French restaurants allow you to take your time, though, before giving you the bill, which I truly appreciate! You can take in the ambience and talk more with your friends without the pressure of having to leave soon after eating. I once had a meal where we talked for over an hour after eating before we got the check. People enjoy savoring the small moments and taking their time, which I think is a nice change of pace after all the hustle and bustle. I also have enjoyed the “du jour” system, where many of the food offerings, especially for lunch, change day by day. I’ve gotten to have some truly incredible meals!

There’s one last thing I’d like to address. One of the most common things people told me when I mentioned I was going to France was that people, especially waiters, are rude to you if you don’t speak perfect French. This was not my experience in the slightest. Almost every restaurant I’ve been to has had incredibly nice waters and waitresses, who are patient with me if I don’t understand their question the first time. I’ve had some who have immediately switched to English after hearing my accent because they wanted to practice their English skills, as well. From my experience and from what I’ve heard in talking with these people, they simply appreciate it if you make an effort, even if your French isn’t perfect.

That’s all from me this time! I’ve attached some pictures of my favorite foods I’ve had below.

Salut!

I’m writing this relatively close to when I leave, which is sad to think about. I’ve become accustomed to life in Tours, and the time really did fly by since I’ve been here. I guess that all great things come to an end at some point, however.

There are two things I’d like to talk about in this blog post—one, my recent weekend trip, and two, some conceptions about the United States that some people I’ve talked to have. Let’s get into it!

Last weekend, I took a weekend trip to the south of France. I’d heard a lot about the south of France in my classes and from other people and some of the differences one might encounter there, so I was excited to see the cultural differences in place. I spent about two and a half days there and was able to visit three amazing places—Toulouse, Lourdes, and Carcassonne. Each place was wonderful and had its own charm!

I visited Toulouse first, also known as “The Pink City” (La Ville Rose) because of the distinctive pink/red bricks used in most of the buildings. I was able to see the Basilica of Saint-Sernin, the Convent of the Jacobins (where the relics of St. Thomas Aquinas are kept!), and other amazing sites. The food there was fantastic too! My favorite sight was probably the Capitole de Toulouse at night—it’s a magnificent building that’s lit up by red lights at night, giving it a magical air.

The next day, I went to Lourdes, which is home to the original Grotto. In that spirit, I made sure to wear my Notre Dame jacket! My short stay there was amazing; Lourdes is a tranquil place with beautiful architecture. They got rid of the famous baths due to COVID restrictions, but I still was able to do most of the major “must-dos” there. And, of course, I went to the Grotto!

Finally, I visited Carcassone, a massive medieval city next to Toulouse. The architecture is well-kept there, and my breath was taken away on my walk up the hill to the “Cité de Carcassonne,” the main area there. I was even able to walk along the walls and see the entire city sprawled in front of me from on top of the hill, which is a sight I don’t think I can ever forget. I’m so glad I was able to go on that trip! I’ve attached some pictures below.

For the second part of this blog, I’d like to talk about some preconceptions of Americans and the U.S. that some people I know here had. I’ll split it into three parts below. My overall takeaway was that American culture had a large sway over France and, likely, other parts of the world, as most of the answers I heard had to do with movies, songs, and other cultural marks. There were some differences, however:

My First Host Parents: I asked my first host parents (middle-aged French man and woman) about what they had heard about Americans, and what they thought of America. They talked about the idea that Americans love guns and country music, which I found interesting. They also spoke about the politics of America, which were apparently somewhat well-known in France, especially the presidencies. They found it surprising that politics were so divisive in America, which I thought made sense. Perhaps politics were less divisive when they were growing up!

Jules: Jules was a male French student–around the same age as me–at La Guinguette, a popular hangout spot on the Loire, especially for college students. When asked about what he thought of America, he said that he wanted to move there (specifically to California) and had a generally positive perception of America. He knew of the divisiveness of politics in America but seemed not to think too much of it, as he thought everywhere had divisive politics. He also talked a lot about American culture in the form of visual mediums like shows and movies, specifically referencing Pulp Fiction and Stranger Things. I thought that these comments were especially interesting, as movies and shows like that are popular among Americans our age, so perhaps the similarity in age influenced his perceptions of America.

My French Teacher: I asked my French teacher at the Institut de Touraine (male, around late twenties, early thirties) about what he thought of America after class one day, because the topic had come up during class that day. He had the most negative perception of America out of those I encountered. He mainly talked about some cultural stereotypes of Americans, like eating burgers and listening to country music. He specifically talked about his dislike of America’s current foreign policy towards France–he thought that even though the two were allies, France was not being respected in recent foreign policy. He did say, though, that he appreciated all of his students, regardless of their nationality. I was especially intrigued to hear a more outside perspective of American foreign policy and was grateful that he shared his honest insights.

And that’s it for this blog post–Thanks for reading!

Garrett

Bonjour!

As of my writing this post, I arrived in Tours about three weeks ago, and the time has flown by! I can’t believe I’m already over halfway done with my stay here. For this post, I’d like to reflect a bit on my experiences here so far, and talk about some words I’ve picked up as well.

My first week here was fun, but was also certainly a struggle. My speaking skills were a little rustier than I’d hoped at first, and I very quickly learned the ways to say “Can you repeat that?” or “How do you say this?” in French. I definitely feel like I’ve improved, though, in the time that I’ve been here, and I’m pretty comfortable talking with my host family in French at the dinner table now. Speaking of my host family, I feel so lucky to have been placed with the family I’m with. They’ve been incredibly kind to me and have really helped me to speak French more rapidly and accurately. They’ve even taken me to some cultural events here in Tours, so I feel like I’ve had some great opportunities to experience French life with them.

The Institut de Touraine has also provided some great experiences as well. My class so far has been enjoyable and helpful. Not only have we learned about the traditional grammar and vocabulary of French, but our teacher also made sure to teach us some practical French phrases and words as well–we even spent an entire day just on slang! The people at the Institut are incredibly kind and welcoming, and it’s a great opportunity to meet a lot of people. The Institut itself is somewhat fluid in the students attending it: the students choose the weeks they want to start and when they want to leave, so it’s common to befriend people leaving in a week, or meet someone new halfway through your stay there. It certainly opens the door to get to know a great number of people! The Institut also offers excursions on Wednesdays and Saturdays to historical sites in France, which have been a nice break from the classes for me. So far, I’ve been able to go to Amboise (a castle on a hill near Tours) and Clos Lucé, the former house of Leonardo da Vinci.

I’ll wrap up this blog post by providing some of the “practical” or “slang” terms I’ve learned so far from my classes, my host family, and my experiences here.

En fait (in fact): This phrase confused me for the longest time, because I kept mishearing it as “on fait,” which roughly translates to “we do” or “we make.” My teacher and my host family kept using this as a kind of interjection within many of their sentences, almost similarly to how people in the United States use “like” very often when they speak. I’ve heard this phrase from most people I’ve spoken to, so it was quite helpful to get that misconception cleared up! I’ve started trying to use this phrase in more sentences while I’m speaking French.

Dégoûtant vs. Dégueulasse (disgusting): These two words both mean “disgusting,” but what makes them different is when you’re supposed to use them. Dégoûtant is a more formal version, while dégueulasse is more familial. There are many words that have familial variants, but this one was the most interesting to me because “disgusting” isn’t really a word that I’d think would need a familial variant. Our teacher taught us the difference between these two words. I haven’t really heard dégoûtant used, but I’ve heard my family use dégueulasse pretty often, especially in regards to food (par exemple, “l’escargot est dégueulasse”).

Merde! (Good luck!): The primary meaning of “merde” when used as a noun is the English equivalent of “the ‘s’ word” (it’s a “gros mot,” or curse word), but that’s not the meaning I’d like to discuss. That context is important because I was really surprised when the daughters of my host family were saying “Merde!” to each other (most of whom are elementary schoolers) before their school play, and the parents were nodding along and saying it with them. This word, when used as an interjection, is used commonly in theater as a way of saying “Good luck!”. According to my host family, it’s bad luck to wish someone good luck in theater by actually saying good luck (“Bonne chance!”), so they say “Merde!” instead before they act in a play. It’s similar to the English equivalent of “Break a leg!”. I don’t think I’ll be saying this too much, though, because of its other meaning and because I’m not exactly a trained theater actor!

Finally, I’ll add some pictures of my first few weeks here. Thanks for reading!